The present invention relates generally to network switches, and more particularly, to a multi-service network switch capable of selecting a routing path based on characteristics associated with an incoming connection request.
Today""s network service providers face extraordinary challenges. Traffic levels are rapidly increasing. Both consumers and corporations are demanding higher access rates and staying on the Internet longer while looking for predictable performance and stringent service-level guarantees. This puts direct demands on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide larger capacity and higher speed at their point of presence (POP) locations, preferably without compromising performance.
Just to maintain acceptable performance, service providers are adding support for more users, more, traffic, and more transactions, preferably without introducing bottlenecks or compromising network availability. Many network-based businesses transactions are time-critical and typically cannot tolerate undue delay or disruption.
In addition to the challenge of growing traffic levels is the challenge of growing diversity of network technology. Users may access the public infrastructure, for example, over dial-up connections, ISDN links, leased lines, frame relays, ATM virtual circuits. They may use voice-grade modems, cable modems, a variety of xDSL modems, or other modems. Within the infrastructure, a service provider""s POP may attach to the core network and to other devices in the POP using, for example, ATM, frame relay, or Ethernet.
Supporting each type of network technology in a traditional manner means that the ISPs typically add separate access servers, access routers, and/or stand alone LAN switches, generally resulting in an increase in cost and management complexities for the ISP.
In order to differentiate themselves from their competitors, ISPs may provide corporate outsourcing and dial network wholesaling services. With corporate outsourcing, a corporation outsources its WAN network to third party service providers for remote user access to the company""s Intranet. With dial network wholesaling, a service provider resells its ports to other service providers. Because the success of corporate outsourcing and dial network wholesaling are generally highly dependent on security, the service provider traditionally purchases a separate POP for each outsourced network or reselling service provider.
Accordingly, there is a need for a network switch capable of providing fault-tolerant and efficient services that will accommodate the increase in the number and the variety of network traffic. It is also desirable to have a system and a method for a private, secure environment for multiple sharing subscribers without the addition of a separate POP per subscriber.
The present invention is directed to a multi-service network switch capable of providing multiple services including modem and ISDN services, frame relay support, LAN interfaces, and layer-2 and layer-3 switching, from a single platform. According to one embodiment of the invention, the switch supports dial network wholesaling by allowing policy-based routing. The switch allows the selection of a routing path for a particular connection based on call policies associated with the call. Thus, a connection may be established to a particular wholeselling ISP""s router based on factors such as the type of inlink of the connection, a domain name, a telephone number, and the like.
According to one aspect of the invention the switch identifies a characteristic of the connection request, selects a router based on the identified characteristic, and forwards a data block originated from the user to the selected router. The identified characteristic may be used to retrieve a call policy database including call profile information that specifies how the call should be handled.